Portable air-withdrawing or vacuum-producing apparatus.



A. M. JACK.

PPBTABLEI m wrrnnmwms (m VACUUM PRODUCING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNY-Q, 1911 1,016,830 Patented Feb. 6, 1912 2SHEETS-SKEET L Z) P m:-

Win 53 g W M yaw Atari/ r A. M. JACK.

PORTABLE AIR WITHDRAWING 0R VACUUM PRODUCING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9 1911.

1,01 6,830 Patented Feb. 6, 1912.

2 SHEET8SHBET 2,

Wain/asses 1 Inventor i4 jlttormep ALEXANDER MACKENZIE JACK. 0FSHEFFIELD. ENGLAND,

PORTABLE AIR-WITHDRAWING OR VACUUM-PRODUCING APPARATUS Specification ofLetters Patent.

Application filed June 9, 1911 Patented Feb. 6,1912. Serial No. 632.220.

To all whom it may concern:

llr it known that l, .hamwxm-zu lllACKEN- mi: Java, :1 subject of theKing of Great Britain and Ireland, residing; at Shetlield, in the countyof York, llngland, have invented improvements in Portable Air\\"itlulrawing or Vaeuuni-Producing Apparatus, of which the following isa specification.

This invention haa reference to air withdrawing or vacuum producing,apparatus suitable for use. in that kind of portable raemnn cleaningapparatus for removing dust from carpets and other articles, wherein theneeessaiw' vacuum is produced by bellows. Such vacuum cleaning apparatusas heretofore. constructed with bellows or other air withdrawing devicesoperated by pedals or bv hand, has, when being used by one person only,a small range of action so that the bellow: or equivalent portion of theapparatus has to be frequently moved from plat-e. to plaee, as thecleaning: proceeds, net'essituting frequentinterruptum in the cleaningoperation and in\"ol\'ing liability of damage to furniture. 'lhese.dirii'dralr tages (-an only be avoided or minimized by employing twopersons to work the. apparatus, one to operate the bellows or equivalentand the other to apply the suction nozzle or equivalent device to thecarpet or other artiele to be clean d, in which casea suitably longlength of suetion pipe is HOCEHstll') to secure the tlt'sll't'tl rangeof action without frequent shilling of the bellows or equiva lent Stu-happaratus is therefore not adapted to be operated in an easy andconrenient manner with the minimum of labor and M: llh to enable thedesired cleaning, by r llttlon to he etl'eeted in a rapid manner.

Now the prext'nt invention has for object to pro ide improved airwithdrawing or vacuum produt-ing apparatus specially adapted for use invacuum cleaningapparatus ot' the kind referred to, whereby sut'happaratus can be easily and conveniently used in a continuous manner bya single person and have an unlimited range. of action with a coinpa.-at'1\'el short length of flexible suction tubing.

For this purpose the invention consists in the novel construction ofbello'ws, constituting portable air withdrawing or vacuum producingapparatus, and m the combinations and arrangomenta of parts all a hereinat't'er more partieularl described and pointed out in the-claim.

In the accomtmnying drawings Figure 1 shows vacuum cleaning apparatus ofthe kind referred to embodying bellows (ul|- structed according to thepresent invention, the said figure showing the manner of using suchbellows. Figs. 2 and 3 show reaper tirely in central vertical sectionand plan and to a larger scale than Fig. 1 one of the bellows used insuch apparatus.

Air withdrawing means to constitute the exhausting portion of vaeuum(leaning upparatus comprises, arr-outing to the. present inventio aushown in Fig. 1, two entirely separate and independent bellows A and lladapted to be attached to the feet of the person using the apparatus andmovable there,- with frdm' place to ilaee and to be worked continuouslyby slltll'ptlhttll raising" and depressing earl] leg: alternately,either while remaining; in the aame position, or by and while walkingabout the room or other place in which the apparatus is being used, theopening movement of (llt'll bellows, to produce the suction or airexhausting action, being etl'eelt-d l muor :utuc springs arranged withinthe bellows and the closing of the bellows, to discharge. the air drawninto the llt'lluh's on the suction stroke, being ell'eeted by bringingthe weight of the operator to bear upon the. top of the bellows.

In the example shown each bellows (:omprises top and bottom boards a and1/ respeetirel that may he of the shape shown, or of other suitableshape, and are eunneeted together by impervious tlexihle material a,such for example as leather arranged to allow of the top board beingmoved toward and from the bottom board to form a bellows within which aspring device such as a coiled spring (I, preferably of the double\Ollll'C shape shown, is arranged to raise the top board, when relievedof pressure, and cause an exhausting aetion. The spring, which may bevaried in strength to suit the operators weight, can be held in place inany convenient way, as for example by projections e that enter the endsof the spring and are formed on blocks f fi xed to the top and bottomboards. The sprmg and bottom block f are inserted apparatus to work inii. with an air suction through a hole formed in the bottom board I) andnormally closed in an air tight manner by :i plate (1.

The bellows is provided with an air inlet valve i. normally held againstits :tlli by a spring j, and with an air deliver port and valve l.'. Thetop is hinged .Iirewtlv to the bottom board I. the air inlet It andsuction valve 2' heiu; rar ied by the top board. The top board a isprovided with convenient means. such for example as rlips, or straps, orboth, by hi-ch it can Ir;- t-a il v and conveniently serum-l to theoperators boot in such a manner as will permit of its being very quicklyattached thereto and detached therefrom. 1n the example shown, each topboard a is provided with a fixed heel piece in and a movable andadjustable toe piece u ar ranged to slide in guides 0, a strap p servingto lirmly fix a person's boot between the heel and toe pieces afterinsertion between them.

The means used for securing the bellows to a persons boots is such as toallow of the bellows being worn and moved by the person from place toplace as indicated in Fig. 1. Also, both toe and heel pieces should beso shaped as to tit approximately either wide or narrow boots, the toepiece allowing of the use of either long or short boots.

In the case of hand operated bellows or equivalent devices, the musclesof the arm may soon become fatigued owing to their being called upon toperform novel or unusual'duties. In operating bellows according to thepresent invention however, the muscles of the feet and legs are onlycalled upon to perform work such as they are usually accustomed to.Consequently no novel or unusual muscular movements are involved by theoperation which is carried out with a minimum of muscular fatigue. Viththe arrangement of bellows described, the hands of the operator areleftfree to manipulate the suction nozzle or, a combined suction nozzleand air filtering device, constituting part of the vacuum cleaning a)paratus and which, in each case, is suitably connected to the bellowsby flexible tubing, suction and delivery valves being rovidcd insuitable positions to enable the the well known way.

In the example shown in Fig. 1, 'r is an air filtering device of anysuitable construction and z a suction nozzle. lhe air filtering device,whatever its construction, may conveniently be arranged between andsuitably connected to the separate bellows A and B, and the suctionnozzle 2 with which latter it may be combined, as shown, so as to form acombined air filtering device and suction nozzle that can be manipulatedas one article by a suitable handle. In the example shown in Fig. 1, theupper end of the casing of the air filtering device 1* has a socket 3 towhich a handle, formed by an air outlet pipe 3, can be detachablysecured so that. the combined air filtering device r and suction nozzle6 can be readily moved, by either hand, over the floor or other placefrom which dust is to be removed. The air inlet pipes it of the twobellows are connected to the air outlet pipe 3 by a pair of flexibletubes 5 and a single length of flexible tubing 4. which will allow offree movement of the combined nozzle and air filtering device, do notnecessarily drag upon the ground, and will not. hamper the operator. Theair filtering device 1' is pro vided with an end cover a that isremovably attached to lugs on the said device by hinged levers orhandles, one lug and lover being indicated at u and t respectively inFig. l.

The bellows A, B, flexible tubes 4, 5, handle 3, air filtering device 4'and nozzle 2 are readily detachable one from the other to allow of theirbeing conveniently packed up when not required.

That I claim is 1-- "he combination of a pair of independent bellowsadapted to be secured severally to the feet of an operator whereby theymay be moved from place to place while being 0 aerated, flexible pipingconnecting the suction inlets of the bellows, and a suction pipeconnected to the said flexible piping at an intermediate point of thelength thereof whereby a continuous inflow will be established throughthe suction ipe.

Signed at Sheflield, Eng and, this 2d day of June, 1911.

' ALEXANDER, MACKENZIE JACK.

\Vitnesses:

Bron K. Evans, CHAS. N. DANIELS.

